The new baby of Mrs Ekaete Udom was barely three months when she conceived again. Her new state was not only shocking, it was embarrassing. As a graduate with BSC Nursing, she is aware of the importance and benefit of child spacing.

Similarly, the advantage of using contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies is not new to her. However, Udom didn’t take advantage of both. The present burden is what does she do with another pregnancy considering the age of the baby at hand.

A professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, and Country Director, JHpiego Corporation, Prof Emmanuel Otolorin has raised an alarm that about 40,000 women and 241,000 new-born die in Nigeria annually from pregnancy and other related complications.

Speaking at the weekend during a Family Planning Media Roundtable in Abuja, he said lack of family planning accounted for 610,000 abortions, a rate of 25 abortions per 1000 women aged 15 – 44.

The trauma of rape and unwanted pregnancies forces victims to procure unsafe abortion, resulting in death and reproductive health complications. In order to address this challenge, Gender activist and Country Director, Ipas Nigeria, Hauwa Shekarau, in this interview with Franka Osakwe, calls for a review of the nation’s abortion law and increased freedom for women to make healthy choices. Excerpts:

With low contraceptive prevalence rate of about fifteen percent, Nigeria continues to record high unintended pregnancies, many of which are resolved through clandestine abortion, despite the country’s restrictive abortion law. Many of these often result in death or disability, a statement by Development Communications (DEVCOM) Network said on Monday.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has said that the issue of maternal health could not be addressed without tackling the issue of family planning.

The Minister stated this in Abuja Tuesday when he received a report on: “Maternal Health in Nigeria, A Situation Report,” which was presented by Chima O.Izugbara, Senior Research Scientist on Population Dynamics and Reproductive Health, African Population and Health Research Centre.